The (Unofficial) Fellowship Bible Blog

We are not a Christian Nation . . .and don't want to be.

As wonderfully illustrated in the sermon today, the USA isn't a Christian Nation, never was and was never intended to be. Frankly, that's a good thing -- especially for Christians and the cause of Christ. Consider the "Christian" nations of history and their works: The Holy Roman Empire and it's conquests, England and the Crusades, Spain and the inquisition. 

The USA too is not without error in mixing government and religion. Although the historical examples are plenty, look no further than the witch trials. 

But what about now? Have we learned our lesson? Are we free from government imposed religion or do we still force compliance with religious principles at the point of a gun rather than as a matter of conscience?

Unfortunately no.  We still are still a country that chooses to mix our beliefs and our government. Despite the failures of the past we still coerce our citizens to perform moral duty by force.

This is no more prevalent nor insidious than in the welfare system and the impending healthcare "reform". Through which, we "Free" Americans force on each other moral duty of charity.

What rightly ought to be done as a matter of conscience -- i.e. providing for the poor -- is instead supplanted by a government run and taxpayer supported forced system.  We are compelled to to give to the poor through taxation.  And in such compulsion, everybody loses.  

We don't get to experience the pain of poverty first hand.  We don't get to establish relationships with people.  We don't get to express the character of Christ.  When we mix Christianity and government in this area, Christianity gets lost and so everybody -- on both sided of the equation, the giver and the receiver -- lose.  

Givers lose the opportunity of doing God's work and the receivers lose the opportunity to see Christ modeled.  Sure it's easier to let the government handle it.  I can just vote for more welfare and feel that I've "done my Christian Duty" and I didn't even have to get messy doing it!  But getting messy is the point.  When we allow the government to do our job we miss the point there as well.  

WE are to help people. WE are to be the salt and light.  WE are to be the point of contact.  So that Christ may be exalted.

As Phillip said, mixing Christianity and government is like mixing ice cream and manure, it doesn't hurt the manure much, but it sure is bad for the ice cream.

Our desire should be to be Christian People, not a Christian Nation.

Ann Coulter puts it out there in Human Events: If You Can Find a Better Deal, Take It!

You may love Ann Coulter or you may hate Ann Coulter.  I'm not concerned about that right now.  You must read her editorial in Human Events in regards to FOX News' Brit Hume's comments that Tiger Woods should consider turning to Christ.  As my mom said in the email in which sent me an email with the link, "I can't believe these words came out of Ann Coulter's mind. I am shocked. Britt Hume--yes; Ann Coulter??" I'm quoting the entire editorial here because she so hit the nail on the head. 

Again, it really doesn't matter what you think of Ann Coulter.  This isn't about politics.  Sure, she picks on "liberals" throughout the article, but that's Ann Coulter.  Get over it. Just read the editorial below and ask yourself if you are using your public platform, whatever it may be, to communicate the truth as clearly as to you to those you influence?

Someone mentioned Christianity on television recently and liberals reacted with their usual howls of rage and blinking incomprehension.
   
On a Fox News panel discussing Tiger Woods, Brit Hume said, perfectly accurately:
   
"The extent to which he can recover, it seems to me, depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So, my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."   

Hume's words, being 100 percent factually correct, sent liberals into a tizzy of sputtering rage, once again illustrating liberals' copious ignorance of Christianity. (Also illustrating the words of the Bible: "How is it you do not understand me when I speak? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my words." John 8:43.)
   
In The Washington Post, Tom Shales demanded that Hume apologize, saying he had "dissed about half a billion Buddhists on the planet."
   
Is Buddhism about forgiveness? Because, if so, Buddhists had better start demanding corrections from every book, magazine article and blog posting ever written on the subject, which claims Buddhists don't believe in God, but try to become their own gods.
   
I can't imagine that anyone thinks Tiger's problem was that he didn't sufficiently think of himself as a god, especially after that final putt in the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year.
   
In light of Shales' warning Hume about "what people are saying" about him, I hope Hume's a Christian, but that's not apparent from his inarguable description of Christianity. Of course, given the reaction to his remarks, apparently one has to be a regular New Testament scholar to have so much as a passing familiarity with the basic concept of Christianity.
   
On MSNBC, David Shuster invoked the "separation of church and television" (a phrase that also doesn't appear in the Constitution), bitterly complaining that Hume had brought up Christianity "out-of-the-blue" on "a political talk show."
   
Why on earth would Hume mention religion while discussing a public figure who had fallen from grace and was in need of redemption and forgiveness? Boy, talk about coming out of left field!
   
What religion -- what topic -- induces this sort of babbling idiocy? (If liberals really want to keep people from hearing about God, they should give Him his own show on MSNBC.)
   
Most perplexing was columnist Dan Savage's indignant accusation that Hume was claiming that Christianity "offers the best deal -- it gives you the get-out-of-adultery-free card that other religions just can't."
   
In fact, that's exactly what Christianity does. It's the best deal in the universe. (I know it seems strange that a self-described atheist and "radical sex advice columnist f*****" like Savage would miss the central point of Christianity, but there it is.)
   
God sent his only son to get the crap beaten out of him, die for our sins and rise from the dead. If you believe that, you're in. Your sins are washed away from you -- sins even worse than adultery! -- because of the cross.
   
"He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:14.
   
Surely you remember the cross, liberals -- the symbol banned by ACLU lawsuits from public property throughout the land?
   
Christianity is simultaneously the easiest religion in the world and the hardest religion in the world.
   
In the no-frills, economy-class version, you don't need a church, a teacher, candles, incense, special food or clothing; you don't need to pass a test or prove yourself in any way. All you'll need is a Bible (in order to grasp the amazing deal you're getting) and probably a water baptism, though even that's disputed.
   
You can be washing the dishes or walking your dog or just sitting there minding your business hating Susan Sarandon and accept that God sent his only son to die for your sins and rise from the dead ... and you're in!
   
"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9.
   
If you do that, every rotten, sinful thing you've ever done is gone from you. You're every bit as much a Christian as the pope or Billy Graham.
   
No fine print, no "your mileage may vary," no blackout dates. God ought to do a TV spot: "I'm God Almighty, and if you can find a better deal than the one I'm offering, take it."
   
The Gospel makes this point approximately 1,000 times. Here are a few examples at random:
   
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.
   
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8.
   
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23.
   
In a boiling rage, liberals constantly accuse Christians of being "judgmental." No, we're relieved.
   
Christianity is also the hardest religion in the world because, if you believe Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead, you have no choice but to give your life entirely over to Him. No more sexual promiscuity, no lying, no cheating, no stealing, no killing inconvenient old people or unborn babies -- no doing what all the other kids do.
   
And no more caring what the world thinks of you -- because, as Jesus warned in a prophecy constantly fulfilled by liberals: The world will hate you.
   
With Christianity, your sins are forgiven, the slate is wiped clean and your eternal life is guaranteed through nothing you did yourself, even though you don't deserve it. It's the best deal in the universe.

Farewell to the Vander Ploegs

Today Fellowship Bible said its goodbyes to the Vander Ploeg family.  Eric Vander Ploeg has been the Executive Pastor at Fellowship for 3 years now, but he, his wife Parker, and their 3 girls are moving to the Madison, Wisconsin area so Eric can step into a lead pastor role at Hillcrest Bible Church in Oregon, Wisconsin.

I've been close friends with Eric these past few years, and I've also had the pleasure of having him and his family living about a block away from my house.  We started a small group together, and we've had many nights eating dinner at each others' houses.  When the ice storms of the past few years have hit, we've been good neighbors and taken care of each other, and we even learned that our houses, which are in sight of each other, are actually on different power grids because we once had power when they didn't.  My 3 boys have really enjoyed playing with their 3 girls over the years, and we haven't gone on a family walk without stopping by to see who was home at the Vander Ploeg house.  My wife Amy has become close to Parker, and it's been hard for them to say goodbye.

Eric did great things in his tenure at Fellowship.  He has strong leadership skills, and he led the capital campaign, building design and building construction process from start to finish to get us into our new building.  In addition, he has freed up Phillip from administrative matters so Phillip can focus on teaching.    He has been the chief decision maker in staff issues and building issues, plus he has had a strong part in the general leadership of our church.  In my opinion, Fellowship Bible would not be in the place it is today without Eric's involvement, and I appreciate his hard work over the years.

We had dinner with the Vander Ploegs tonight, and it's sad to see them go.  We wish them the best in this new venture in a new place, and we also look to God's direction as we move into a new chapter for Fellowship.  Thank you, God, for the friends who cross our paths and make a difference during the time they're in our daily lives.